U.S. Pat. No. 34,021 discloses a method and apparatus for fixing a hollow organ of a patient to the body wall of the patient using T-shaped tension members, hereinafter referred to as "T-fasteners". Examples of surgical procedures which may utilize the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 34,021 are the securing of a patient's stomach or bowel in apposition to the abdominal wall during a gastrostomy or jejunostomy procedure. These procedures are performed to facilitate the insertion of a feeding tube through the abdominal wall directly into the stomach or bowel. Examples of individuals who may require securing of the stomach or bowel in apposition to the abdominal wall in order that a feeding tube may be installed include burn patients, whose daily caloric needs are high; critically ill, weak or comatose patients with a traumatized esophagus, who may be unable to swallow food. Increasingly, a new class of persons requiring such treatment include patients infected with the HIV virus.
A relatively new method of placing a gastrostomy tube or jejunostomy tube is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,086. In this patent, a laparoscopic procedure is described which utilizes instruments and equipment which pass through the skin and the tissue of the body wall at the surgical site and to the hollow organ to be penetrated. The laparoscopic procedure requires the handling and use of many instruments and supplies including a nasogastric tube, a scalpel, needles, syringes, T-fasteners, a J-guide wire, dilators, a gastrostomy tube or a jejunostomy tube, a stylet and water soluble lubricant. In the procedure described herein as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,086, each T-fastener is inserted into a slotted, hollow needle to facilitate placement within the hollow organ. Care must be taken to avoid ejecting the T-fastener prematurely before it is properly emplaced, or else it will be wrongly placed within the patient, or, if outside the body of the patient, it will likely fall onto a non-sterile surface and have to be discarded. Considering the number of items that must be handled during such procedures it is evident that there is a need for a convenient apparatus and method of holding and controlling the stylet used to eject the T-fasteners from the slotted hypodermic needle used for emplacement.